Valley athletes win region track and field titles

Four Valley athletes won a pair of individual events each, one on celebrated the four-peat, to lead the Mat-Su during the Region III Championships track and field meet over the weekend at Service High School in Anchorage.

Wasilla boasted a pair of double-winners. Senior Layla Hays swept the throwing events, striking gold on the shot put and discus. Hays won the shot put with a personal record mark of 38 feet, 10.5 inches. She was first in the discus with a season-best throw of 123-9.

Hays now has three region discus titles and a shot put title in her career.

Sophomore Hailee Giacobbe was the top runner in the girls distance events. Giacobbe had a personal best time of 5:17.69 to win the 1,600 meters and was first in the 3,200 at 11:29.64.

Sophomore Leila Petersen led Palmer with wins in the girls 200 and 400. She posted a personal record in the finals of both races, with a 26.33 in the 200 and 57.78 in the 400. It marked the second straight region title for Petersen in bot events.

In the Division II class, Redington sophomore Mia Bukala earned titles in the 300 hurdles and triple jump. Bukala also recorded personal bests in both events, with a time of 47.68 in the hurdles and mark of 35-10 in the triple jump.

Hays, Giaccobe, Petersen and Bukala were among 10 Valley athletes to win a region title.

Palmer senior Avery Johnson won the girls high jump with a mark of 5-10.

The Colony boys finished with three champs in the jumps. Senior Nick Bailey had a personal record leap of 20-7 to win the long jump. Fellow senior Kenneth Motton was first in the triple jump at 42-10.75. Sophomore Maverick Rodriguez was first in the high jump, with a mark of 5-10.

Palmer junior Nolan Garner led the Moose boys with his first-place finish and personal best 141-8 in the discus.

Houston senior Gage Hawes also had a personal best and first-place finish with a throw of 43-9.25 in the Division II boys shot put.

Colony finished as the runner-up in both the girls and boys team standings. The Colony girls had 92 total points, and the boys had 100. Soldotna swept the team titles, with 146 points on the girls side and 120 on the boys.

Sydney Simpich (800 and 1,600), Ella Hopkins (3,200), Tonya Karpow (shot put), Audrie Fischer (discus) and Sophia Allen placed second for the Colony girls. Hopkins (800 and 1,600), Annelise Larsen (400), Aubrey Virgin (3,200) and Halie Sandstrom (high jump) placed third. Hallie Clark (long jump) was fourth, and Larsen (200), Virgin (1,600), Fischer (shot put), Allen (triple jump), Denali Anderson-Berghoff (100) and Dominique Porter (long jump) placed fifth.

Trygve Vang-Thompson (3,200), Jaylin Williams (110 hurdles), Grant Ousley (shot put) and Tyrus Fischer (discus) finished as a runner-up for the Colony boys. Rodriguez (long jump), Kabari Little (100), Gabriel Black (1,600), Haakon Erickson (300 hurdles), Kenton Phelps (shot put) and Andrew Richardson (discus) were third. Little (200), Hayden Shafer (100), Kenneth Hopkins (400), Theodore Stamoolis (1,600) and Jordan Sterling (high jump) were fourth. Motton (400 and long jump) and Kaleb Stamoolis (800) placed fifth.

Wasila was third overall for the girls and boys.

Caelynn Carter (100), Jewel Gardner (300 hurdles), Claire Bredberg (shot put) and McKinley Hafen (long jump) were third for the Wasilla girls. Gardner (100 hurdles), Hafen (triple jump), Emily Crabtree (high jump) and Mia Christensen (discus) placed fourth.

Kaleb Boothby was second in the 400 for the Wasilla boys. Gabriel Carey (3,200) and Bruce Sommerville (long jump and triple jump) were third, and Calvin Musgrave (200) was fifth.

Sawyer Wilhelm was second in the 100 and third in the 200 for the Palmer boys, and Corbin Gerkin was fifth in the high jump. Aubrey Hess placed fifth for Palmer in the girls 300 hurdles.

Bukala was also second in the 200 and 100 hurdles for Redington. Alexa Pike was second in the discus, and Aleena Pike was fourth.

Zach Mertel was third in the Division II boys discus for Redington and fifth in the shot put.

Hawes placed second in the Division II boys discus for Houston. Ethan Stanton was third for the Hawks in the shot put, and Elias Johnson placed fifth in the 400.

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